


hey there delilah (dally)

by marniac



Category: The Outsiders (1983), The Outsiders - All Media Types, The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: M/M, dally isnt really in this but he kinda is idk, i got the like idea ish kinda from someone else, i was just listening to this song and was like "well ya know what", kinda hints at attempted suicide so like if thats bad dont read, like hes mentioned but not actually in it, maybe i'll do another part to this but maybe not, someone give johnny a hug man, this is my first work so it sucks lmao, this isnt set in the old days brother, uhh this is kinda angsty idk, we out here in 2010
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 09:26:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19170439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marniac/pseuds/marniac
Summary: It’s 2010. Dallas Winston has been gone for 5 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days. He left without a word, without a suitcase, without his phone, and without Johnny. Nearing the six month anniversary of Dally’s disappearance, Johnny finally thinks he finished his song.





	hey there delilah (dally)

**Author's Note:**

> hey so i got some ideas from uhh @ johnnycake's abandonment issues so thanks dude ur a really good writer :) this is the first thing ive written for this so um dont expect great writing im still trying to figure it out lmao  
> so basically johnny and dally were dating and then dally just pulled a 'my dad' and left without telling johnny so my lil boy is depressed :(  
> johnny's tryna be a singer kinda idk man i just wanted to write this i didnt think about background shit lmao  
> if you came for some cute soft johnny x dally uhh ur bout to be extremely disappointed  
> also uhh idk i didnt really think about ages but i guess johnny is like 20 so that means dally is like 21 or 22?? in this i guess?? i dunno lmao

The sunlight slowly crept into Johnny’s bedroom. The morning was always the worst for him. He went to bed every single night praying that in the morning he would wake up and Dally would be asleep right next to him.

That never happened. 

Johnny’s morning routine seemed almost torturous for him. Wake up, shower, change, eat, cry, and lay in bed for four more hours until work. He checked his phone, seeing a text from Ponyboy. It was okay, though. He could answer later. There was only one thing on his mind. 

Johnny walked up to his calendar, crossing off yesterday’s date and adding another tally on the wall. Tomorrow marks 6 months since Dally left. He then looked at the corner of his room, seeing his old guitar. The guitar was both a blessing and a curse to Johnny, having shed so many tears on the damn thing. 

Already tearing up, he walked over to the guitar and picked it up slowly. Just holding it made him want to break down, but he had to be strong. If not for himself, then for the gang. And if not for them, for Dally. 

Sitting down at his desk, Johnny gave the guitar a test strum, making sure it was tuned. He clicked at programs on his laptop, set up his microphone and tested the sound quality. 

He would finally do it today.

Hesitantly, he pressed the record button and watched as the timer counted down. 

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

\--

Ponyboy was beginning to grow worried as he sat in Darry’s truck in the backseat. Soda looked back and gave him a reassuring smile. “Pony, maybe he’s busy. You don’t have to worry so much.” He said, his eyes giving Ponyboy a small drop of hope. 

Maybe Soda was right, but when Pony texted and Johnny didn’t answer, he could only assume the worst. He didn’t want a situation like 2 months ago. He couldn’t go through a scare like that again. 

Ponyboy perked up as he saw Johnny’s and Dally’s house in the distance. It was small and not located in the friendliest of neighborhoods, but it was the only thing they could afford. 

After what felt like years, the truck came to a stop and Ponyboy got out, running up to the door. He knocked and got no response. He knocked again, and nothing. 

Darry and Soda looked at each other, and then back at Ponyboy. This couldn’t be good. Part of them wanted to break the door down and save Johnny from whatever he has subjected himself to again. Part of them wanted to drag Ponyboy back into the car, not wanting to see Johnny in such a horrible state again. 

Darry walked up to the door, ready to bust it open any second. “Wait,” Ponyboy whispered. “Listen.” He has his ear to the door, concentrating on listening to whatever was happening on the other side. 

“Hey there, Delilah  
What's it like in New York City?  
I'm a thousand miles away  
But, girl, tonight you look so pretty  
Yes, you do  
Times Square can't shine as bright as you  
I swear, it's true.”

A guitar’s strings being plucked and Johnny’s soft but tired voice was the only sound you could hear. Ponyboy slowly and quietly opened the door, remembering that the lock was broken from last time and that Johnny never bothered to fix it. 

“Hey there, Delilah  
Don't you worry about the distance  
I'm right there if you get lonely  
Give this song another listen  
Close your eyes  
Listen to my voice, it's my disguise  
I'm by your side

Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
What you do to me”

Darry, Soda, and Pony all managed to successfully get inside and sit on the couch. Thankfully, Johnny wouldn’t be able to see them until he went out of his room.

Darry was trying to think of why Johnny was singing a song about a girl named Delilah until he realized the date. This song wasn’t about a girl. It was about Dallas fucking Winston.

“Hey there, Delilah  
I know times are gettin' hard  
But just believe me, girl  
Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar  
We'll have it good  
We'll have the life we knew we would  
My word is good

Hey there, Delilah  
I've got so much left to say  
If every simple song I wrote to you  
Would take your breath away  
I'd write it all  
Even more in love with me, you'd fall  
We'd have it all”

Ponyboy had to quickly slap his hand over his mouth to silence a sob. Soda was hugging him and it looked like he was on the verge of tears too. Darry leaned over, resting his head on Pony’s shoulder and closed his eyes, listening to the end of the chorus and waiting for the next verse to start.

“A thousand miles seems pretty far  
But they've got planes and trains and cars  
I'd walk to you if I had no other way

Our friends would all make fun of us  
And we'd just laugh along because we'd know  
That none of them have felt this way

Delilah, I can promise you  
That by the time that we get through  
The world will never ever be the same  
And you're to blame”

You didn’t have to be a genius to tell just by Johnny’s voice that he was gonna start crying any second. He managed to keep his composure much to the Curtis’ surprise.

“Hey there, Delilah  
You be good and don't you miss me  
Two more years and you'll be done with school  
And I'll be makin' history like I do  
You know it's all because of you  
We can do whatever we want to  
Hey there, Delilah here's to you  
This one's for you

Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
Oh, it's what you do to me  
What you do to me, oh oh, woah, woah  
Oh woah, oh  
Oh”

Johnny’s voice finally broke on the last “oh” of the song, letting his tears fall into his guitar. He let out a sigh before ending the recording and setting his guitar down. 

“Johnny?” A soft voice called from the hallway. Johnny looked up to see Ponyboy standing there, tears running down his face. 

Johnny practically ran into Pony’s arms, letting out small and broken sobs. He was so engulfed in his sadness he didn’t even feel Darry and Soda join the hug. 

“That was amazing, Johnny.” Ponyboy managed to say, hugging his friend tighter. 

Johnny smiled. Maybe he didn’t need Dally. Maybe this was his way of finally letting go. Johnny has the gang, and he knows that they all love him.

The four stayed like that for longer, not wanting to let go of each other.

\--

Johnny came home later than usual, slamming his door shut and hearing the neighbor’s dog bark. “Damn dog,” He muttered. “Doesn’t ever shut up.”

Today was a good day. After work he went out to watch a movie with the gang, and they all had fun. He desperately tried to ignore the empty feeling he had and what he had been feeling for a while. 

He walked over to his laptop, seeing that the recording was ready to upload. He hesitated. What if nobody listened to it?

With a shake of his head, he pressed ‘upload’. What was the worst that could happen anyways? He didn’t seem to care. He trudged over to his bed and collapsed, not having the energy to change or wash up. 

Despite wanting to let go, Johnny still prayed that Dally would come back. That he would wake up with strong arms around him and the words, “Mornin’, Johnnycake.”

The only thing that was different was the fact that he didn’t cry afterward. In fact, Johnny smiled before falling into a well-needed sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading this if you did!!! it means a lot  
> if enough people actually like this shit i might do another part where dally comes home or some shit


End file.
